Starring: Timothy Spall,  Lesley ManvilleDorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Martin Savage,  
Director & writer: Mike Leigh
Genre: Biography, Drama

If you were expecting a remake of the 1989 comedy police drama starring Tom Hanks after he has ditched that ugly mutt Hooch and gone out on his own. Then you are going to be bitterly disappointed.

Mr Turner is the latest offering from legendary British Director Mike Leigh. Unlike many of Leigh’s kitchen sink drama’s set in the present day this latest drama is set in the nineteenth century and concentrates on the latter half of JMW Turner’s life from 1826 to his death in 1851. The film follows him at the heigt ohf his career showing highs and the lows towards the end of his life.
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Turner is portrayed by Timothy Spall (A favourite of Mike Leigh) who gives the finest performance of his long film career. Turner was renowned for his creative use of light in his works and created fantastic landscapes and marine scenes often showing great ships in rough seas. Turner was quite an eccentric and once tied himself to the mast of a ship to so he could study and sketch the actions of a snow storm at sea, which Timothy Spall acts out in the film.

Outwardly Turner appears a grumpy and gruff man who often communicates through a range of grunts, growls and snorts. Despite this uncouth appearance and cockney accent, Turner was a very intelligent man who was well respected and liked by his peers and could be very witty but at the same time had a wicked sense of humour. This is highlighted when he openly mocks one of John Constable’s (James Fleet) masterpiece’s which was also showing in the Royal Academy of Art. In front of his fellow artists, Turner seemingly ruins one of his own pieces of work hanging in the gallery by adding a slash of bright red to the picture to prove a point resulting in Constable storming out of the Academy. Only for Turner to turn the graffiti into a sea buoy much to the amusement of the others.

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We discover that Turner had a strained relationship with his Mother who was committed to a mental hospital where she was treated and subsequently died. But he did have a strong bond with his Father, William (Paul Jesson) who would prepare his son’s canvasses and purchased all of his paints and materials.

We also see Turners strange relationship with his loyal and long suffering housekeeper Hannah (Dorothy Atkinson) who adored the artist but was taken for granted. She would often allow Turner to grope her breasts in a matter of fact manner while she was serving his dinner. On a trip to Margate to study seascapes, Turner books into a boarding house run by a friendly landlady Mrs Booth (Marion Bailey) who he has an affair with until his death.
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Watching this film is like being transported to another time. Cinematographer Dick Pope captures the atmosphere of the 1800’s with a dark feel to it and production designer Suzie Davies does a fantastic job of authentic looking sets. The scenery is stunning.

Timothy Spall is brilliant in his portrayal and completely immerses himself in the role. This film will no doubt generate a few award nominations. Spall already won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.

My only criticism is that the film’s two and half hours is probably too long for the subject matter and could have been served as a five part TV drama.

Four out of Five stars

In cinemas October 31